Dirt

The Macavalanche, organised by No Fuss Events, is Scotland’s only mass start downhill mountain bike race. Touted as being the ‘little brother or sister to the world famous Megavalanche’, it was first staged in 2011, and takes place on the slopes of Glencoe Mountain, famous for being the oldest ski area in the UK and with a hard, gnarly reputation on the downhill circuit.

Sponsored by iXS, the inaugural race featured a helicopter uplift, great snow, stunning scenery, and around 100 riders descending 700 m across snow and tundra. The first rider to the bottom station was Joe Barnes, with Neil O’Donoghue second and Danny MacAskill third. Female winner was Hannah Barnes, ahead of Angela Coates and Rosie Holdsworth.

In 2012, the programme was changed slightly with a practice session and a qualifying heat on the Saturday and practice and racing on the Sunday, and the helicopter rides were cut out to give contestants more time on their bikes. The Barnes family dominated proceedings once again, winning the two main categories. Other winners were David Christie (B Final) and James Orr (C Final).

The 2013 Macavalanche, now sponsored by Bluegrass, was shifted to later in the year due to unseasonal amounts of snow in April, and also reverted back to a one-day event. The fastest rider down the mountain was Liam Moynihan, ahead of James Shirley and Senior entrant Frazer Houston. Winner of the women’s race was Sophie Buckingham, who finished in 12th place overall.